In early September, multiple viral videos with millions of views claimed Alexa, Amazon’s virtual assistant, gave different answers when people asked why they should vote for Vice President Kamala Harris or former President Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election.
“I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or a specific candidate,” Alexa responded when asked why they should vote for Trump.
However, when asked about Harris, the viral videos show Alexa offering a variety of reasons on why people should vote for the Democratic presidential nominee.
“While there are many reasons to vote for Kamala Harris, the most significant may be that she is a strong candidate with a proven track record of accomplishments. As the first female vice president, Harris has already broken down a major gender barrier and her career in politics has been characterized by a commitment to progressive ideals and a focus on helping disenfranchised communities,” Alexa says in many of the viral videos.
VERIFY readers Denise and Johnny reached out to our team to ask if the viral claims were true.
THE QUESTION
Did Amazon Alexa give reasons to vote for Kamala Harris but not Donald Trump?
THE SOURCES
- Amazon Alexa
- An Amazon spokesperson
- An article published by Fox News
- An article published by the Washington Post
- Independent VERIFY test on multiple Amazon Echo devices
THE ANSWER
Yes, Amazon Alexa did give reasons to vote for Kamala Harris but not Donald Trump. An Amazon spokesperson told VERIFY that “this was an error that was quickly fixed.”
WHAT WE FOUND
Amazon Alexa did give a variety of reasons when asked why people should vote for Kamala Harris, but it did not provide any reasons when asked why people should vote for Donald Trump, like the viral videos claimed.
In an email, an Amazon spokesperson told VERIFY that “this was an error that was quickly fixed.”
On Sept. 4, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina told Amazon president and CEO Andrew Jassy in a letter obtained by Fox News that he was putting him “on notice” over what many conservatives on social media are calling election interference. Graham is the ranking member of the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
“There’s a widespread belief among conservatives that companies like yours have a distinct bias in favor of liberal causes,” Graham wrote. “The reported shocking interaction between Alexa and users asking for information about why to vote for President Trump versus why to vote for Vice President Harris is, in many conservatives’ minds, exhibit A of the problem.”
Graham added that he expects “a prompt reply as to what happened here and what corrective actions will be taken in the future.”
Amazon says it is constantly working to improve and safeguard Alexa, which doesn’t have political opinions. The company also says it has teams dedicated to preventing similar incidents from happening in the future.
Internal documents obtained by the Washington Post on Sept. 5 show artificial intelligence software added to improve Alexa’s accuracy in late 2023 caused the now-viral incident.
VERIFY tested multiple Amazon Echo devices with Alexa on Sept. 6.
When asked “Why should I vote for Trump?” and “Why should I vote for Harris?” Alexa responded to both questions, saying, “I cannot provide content that promotes a specific political party or candidate.”
When asked “Who should I vote for?” Alexa responded, saying, “Voting is a choice that each eligible voter must make.”
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